Finding You
by CODEKinesis
Summary: Hermione stared at the little girl, with eyes identical to hers. She'd never think she'd ever see this little girl ever again. Especially with all the things that has happened within her own life. Fate really was just mocking her now. (Rating may change)
1. Chapter 1

Hermione rubbed her temples.

There were way too many papers for her to fill in for the Ministry. She couldn't complain, though; it was her job. Besides, compared to what she normally did for the Ministry, paperwork was a walk in the park. People would oppose, though. The forms she had to fill in were stacked into piles like mountains. Maybe even rivaling the heights of the Himalayan mountains. Normally, people would have thought that paperwork would have caused Hermione to go ballistic. However, that's not the case. What people don't know is that Hermione's true occupation was darker than they'd ever imagine.

Hermione was a professional assassin. A definitely different occupation than what most people would have anticipated for Hermione. It was too sinister to even think of Hermione ever pursuing an actual career responsible for taking the lives of other people. That's why the Ministry had decided to put the hidden Department of Executive Action in the shadows all these years. The department had been reactivated right after the war after its 30 years of deactivation. The Ministry had realized it would provide far more effective results on "dealing" with issues arising. It was never shown to the public nor was it easy to access the offices. The location was quite complex. It was located on the 11th floor, only made possible to go through a secret door inside the 10th floor.

The department was responsible for the "silencing" of people who pose a serious threat to the Ministry and its citizens. This included international terrorists, drug dealers, even mass murderers. Unlike the Aurors or the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, the targets hold no possible value that can be beneficial towards the Ministry. The Death Eaters would have been their prime targets if the department had been active.

Those who knew of Hermione's occupation were completely shocked. Her friends were saddened by this but they still chose to stand beside her. The most trusted adults in her lives were heartbroken but they could understand why she chose such a monstrous career. McGonagall had especially high hopes for the genius witch, hoping that she would have been a Healer or even Minister. She couldn't blame Hermione though; there was a reason. Everyone who did know also knew that the reason behind her choices was strongly influenced by severe trauma from her past.

Hermione smiled. She had finished the last batch of papers. She had agreed to meet up with Harry and Ron for lunch today. Unlike their female companion, Harry and Ron were Aurors and their hours were far shorter than hers. Despite the difficult of her job and work hours, the trio still had time to meet up with each other. Their lunch hour was one of them.

Hermione stepped out of the elevator. She was meeting up with her friends on the main floor. She noticed that they were at the front entrance, waiting for her.

She was rushing towards them when Kingsley stepped in front of her.

"Ms. Granger. I need you to be a tour guide for a group of orphans today." he simply stated.

"Sir…. This is such a last-minute surprise. I already have plan-"

"I am begging you. You are the only one available who is capable of guiding them around and can handle kids."

She snorted. Kids? Handle? If only he knew.

Hermione should've known something was up when Kingsley came suddenly out of the blue. He would always request her to do surprising tasks or the most difficult assassination targets. This moment was just a prime example.

She would have rejected but his eyes were pleading. She would've said "no" flatly, but she still had a conscious. Hermione was an assassin, but she was still human.

"Fine."

Kingsley grabbed her arm. He directed her further away from her friends. She looked at her friends. They were saddened by her leave but they already accepted it. They've learned to adjust to the situation whenever she got called by Kingsley. They looked at her and nodded. They implied they were getting lunch without her and apparated away.

Kingsley had led her to the water fountain at the center. Right at the spot, there were a group of little kids. They were in their best clothes possible, hiding the depravity they had but Hermione could look past through their eyes. She especially had noticed this in a particular individual. It was a young child, younger than the rest of the group. A young girl. She was wearing a pink t-shirt with denim-short overalls. There was something about this girl that caught Hermione's attention. Maybe it was how there were many bandages on her legs and arms. Or possibly how she was wearing a gray beanie on her head, not revealing any of her hair. It was odd to Hermione since it's the summer and the child was wearing a warm hat. Also, the fact that none of her hair was shown raised many suspicions into the woman. What was worth hiding her hair inside her hat? Hermione was curious but knew she couldn't really intervene since she was just a mere tour guide, tolerating these kids for a couple of hours. It'd be useless to get attached to them at the moment.

Kingsley nodded and left Hermione. She gulped.

A tall lady in formal dress robes approached her. Hermione further inspected the lady. She was old and lanky; wrinkles and bones were even protruding. She was pale (sickly, deathly pale) and had her black hair tamed in a tight hair bun. She had icy blue eyes, a sharp jaw, and a sharp long nose. There was a tag pinned on her robes that said, "Matron of Exceptional Wizards Orphanage".

Hermione shivered. She felt scared for the kids. The head of the orphanage seemed like the evil witch pulled out of muggle fables. Her aura even gave that uncomfortable, malicious intent. Hermione felt sympathy towards the kids. This woman probably mistreats them because of how physically distant they were to her.

"Let's just get this over with." The lady spat at her.

It had only been an hour and Hermione had the urge to just scream and pull her hair out. The headmistress kept criticizing her touring skills. She also kept insulting the kids and physically disciplining them in public. Hermione was never supportive of physical discipline, and despite her Gryffindor colors, she knew it'd be better to tolerate than stand up to her beliefs. The Wizard Society was still "backward", that being very archaic and traditional. If she were to ensuite a fight at the moment, the majority would support the headmistress over Hermione. Hermione's disagreement wasn't worth all those consequences. It wasn't just her abusive colors that were pissing off Hermione, but also her self-conceited attitude. This woman had the audacity to say that Hermione's efforts in the war were futile and that she just joined Harry to get a taste of fame. Unbelievable!

It wasn't just the headmistress that was getting on her nerves, but also the kids. They (most of them) had been very loud during the tour, talking over her and making inappropriate sounds. In addition to their awful behavior, they have all picked on the poor girl with the gray beanie on. They've shoved her to the floor, pushed her, and even flicked her forehead. They were just a complete nuisance!

When Hermione agreed to the minister to guide these guests, this is not what she had expected! It was complete madness!

Hermione sighed. The group was back at the fountain, thus indicating the end of the tour.

It was FINALLY over!

"Well, this concludes our tour. If you follow me back to the apparition po-"

 **SPLOOSH**

Hermione turned her head to the left sharply. She followed where the source was coming from.

She gasped. To her horror, the little girl had been thrown into the fountain. The other orphans laughed at the child, while the matron paid no attention. The older orphans had thrown the poor child into the fountain.

Hermione turned her head towards the child. Her heart broke. The little girl was crying, bawling her eyes out hard. No one was doing anything to help. The surrounding ministry employees did nothing and just ignored the scene.

Hermione was enraged. This was the last straw. She walked towards the fountain. The children backed away from her. Hermione looked down at the child. The child whimpered and tensed up. She was afraid that Hermione was going to doing something devastating to her.

Hermione offered her hand to the child. The child hesitated but took it. The little girl got out of the fountain.

"Let's get you fixed up," Hermione said with a smile.

The two walked away from the group. Hermione turned her head and glared at the group. They better stay where they were, or else she would've killed them. Eventually, they reached the girls' washroom.

Hermione pulled out her wand. She scrougified the little girl's clothes, making her clothes dry in an instant.

The girl gasped and smiled at Hermione. Hermione giggled at how cute she was being. This was the first time she had actually seen the child up close. The girl was pale and had the most brilliant chocolate brown eyes Hermione had ever seen. There was something about her eyes that seemed familiar to her. It was as if she was staring at her own eyes.

Something shiny caught the corner of Hermione's eye. Hermione noticed a golden pendant lying on the child's chest. She inspected it with her hand. There's something that she couldn't exactly point the significance of the child's necklace.

"Please don't touch it," mumbled the child.

Hermione adjusted her focus from the necklace to the girl. This was the first time she has ever heard the child spoke. At all.

"And why is that?" she asked.

The girl bit her lip.

"It's the only thing I have that came from my actual family," she confessed. "Besides, whoever tries to take it gets electrocuted."

Electrocution? Upon taking the necklace by force? Something about that seemed so peculiar to Hermione. It reminded her of what she had done to another necklace…. No… It couldn't be. Could it?

Hermione scanned the child from toe to tip. Brown eyes identical to hers. Enchanted necklace. This was all too coincidental!

Hermione's heart was racing.

"Is it okay if you can take your hat off, please?" She asked while failing to hide her tone of anxiety.

The girl shrugged. She slowly took her beanie off. With it, she revealed her platinum blonde hair tied in a top knot.

At this point, Hermione was hyperventilating. All the physical evidence and features this girl exhibited was all too convincing. There was a high possibility that **SHE** actually who Hermione fears she actually is.

 _No_

This was just a mere coincidence. All of it. There are more than 1 billion people in this world that could share the same physical features this girl has.

 _But what if?_

Hermione's stupid mind was acting against her. **It's not possible!**

You haven't even asked the most important question yet.

That's right. She hadn't. So why hadn't she asked the question yet?

Hermione gulped.

She was going to ask, just to prove that this was all a strange fluke. Nothing to fear, _right?_

Hermione sighed.

"You haven't really told me your name. My name is Hermione, what's yours?"

The girl bit her lip.

"Agnese…. (Pronounced as Ag-Nay-Say) and I am 5 years-old."

Shit. The name and age are big indicators.

Hermione mentally laughed at herself. Here was Agnese, her highly possible estranged daughter.

* * *

 **Well, I felt inspired to write a story like this by reading my friend's fanfic. This story will go to a completely different route. Unlike most stories that involve Hermione with kids, Hermione actually gave up her child for adoption (reasons to be revealed later). Hope you guys will stay tuned for this story.**


	2. Chapter 2: Adoption

Hermione blinked furiously.

Yep. It was all one big joke.

Agnese tilted her head to the side.

"Miss… Are you okay?" she timidly asked.

Hermione shook her head. She couldn't break down in front of her newfound daughter. _Correction._ Possible child. This isn't completely confirmed. Still, as much as there were many consequences that would follow, she still wanted to satisfy her ever questioning mind. ' _Stupid bookworm Hermione'_ she bitterly thought to herself.

"Yeah… I'm.. okay," she replied.

 _*Sniffs*_

Agnese gave Hermione a napkin. Hermione took it and gently wiped off the tears off her face. Before today, Hermione would've laughed at herself. Here she was, breaking down to a whimpering wimp because of this reunification. Ironically, she never felt sad when killing her targets. To the average person, killing numerous people would've left many emotional scars. Unfortunately, Hermione wasn't one of them. She felt no remorse on taking a life but had gotten emotional with a little child. Such an irony indeed.

"It's not much… but it is all I have," she mumbled. Hermione appreciated Agnese's small gesture. All of a sudden, she hugged Hermione. Hermione was caught off guard. This was definitely surprising.

"You're… the only one that has ever shown me genuine kindness," she confessed. Hermione was speechless. Really? She had hoped that this girl at least received some form of kindness from her orphanage, but her comment proved otherwise.

Something white fell off the ground. Hermione turned her eyes at the corner to get a glimpse of what it was. They were wizard bandages, all soaked up in water that they fell to the ground.

Agnese panicked. She swiftly grabbed the bandages and tried to re-wrap the injuries on her legs. She hoped Hermione hadn't noticed her boo-boos on her legs. It proved to no avail though. Her bandages were so wet, they refused to properly stick on.

Unfortunately, Hermione had seen the injuries. To her horror, they were quite severe. On her left leg, just above her knee, there were 4 dots. All were equally spaced and oriented like a consistent diagonal line. Perhaps a fork stab? On her right leg, there were 3 deep cuts. Possibly done with a sharp knife. Both her legs had a number of bruises, all varying between severity. Some had formed scabs that were ready to be peeled off while others had a dark shade of hues. Hermione internally puked. What horrors had this poor child endure?

"These are injuries I got at the orphanage. The other kids like to hurt me for fun," confessed Agnese.

What was wrong with the orphans? Injuring a poor girl like her to such an extreme. Now that Hermione recalled, most of the orphans were boys, except for Agnese. Hermione figured that boys were just very rough. Still, that was no excuse to act so gruesome.

There was a lingering feeling of paranoia in Hermione. She was very afraid to ask this specific question. If what they normally do to Agnese was this terrifying, they are also quite capable in doing this act, too. The thought of young kids acting on animal instinct to hurt a young child like her was awful to consider. Those children were quite messed up, and this was coming from the woman with a messed up career.

She didn't want this young girl to experience the same trauma that she had been forced to endure. The pain. The shame. The violation. Finally, the confusion.

Hermione gulped.

"Where you ever….. touched inappropriately?" She struggled to ask.

Agnese shook her head, not really understanding the woman. Hermione sighed with relief.

"Are there other things that they do to you at the orphanage?" she asked.

Agnese nodded.

"Compared to what the other kids do to me, the matron is worse," she confessed. Hermione tilted her head. The way she said those words raised concerns within Hermione. She said everything so slowly and quietly. Her body tensed up when the words left her mouth. It was obvious that the mistress had done more traumatizing attacks onto the little girl.

Hermione gripped her hands shut. Even if this child was her kid or not, no child deserves to be treated like trash. As a biological mother, this enraged Hermione seeing a child mistreated. This wasn't what she wanted to happen to her own child, even though she gave the child up for adoption. Hermione had believed that adoption would've been a better choice for her own child. She had believed that the child would've been adopted into a loving family. Hearing Agnese's experience at the orphanage has caused Hermione to regret choosing adoption for her child.

She hesitated.

"What.. does she do to you?"

Agnese took a deep breath.

"She.. says mean things. I may not get physically hurt by her.. but she hurts me more inside. She says that my parents could care less about me. That's why they abandoned me. She says I'm a waste of life. She purposely gives me small portions of food to prove it," she admitted. Agnese bit her lip and fidgeted with her pendant. There was a long pause.

"She says that my pendant was the worst thing I could've ever received from my parents. I don't deserve something so precious like this."

Hermione was definitely pissed at this point. What kind of authority did that woman have, trying to dictate this poor child. This woman…. no… monster…. was a sadistic prick. Hermione had no remorse as an assassin, but even she wouldn't go to the extreme on killing her targets. She was satisfying her tendencies by exercising her power over poor kids. Unfortunately, it seems Agnese was her prime dummy.

Agnese looked down at her feet. There was obviously something bothering her.

"You're going to leave me after this," she mumbled.

Hermione's heart broke. Hearing this poor child's plea was disheartening indeed. Hermione wasn't going to leave this child **AT ALL**. She'll help Agnese. She'll adopt her! It didn't matter if she actually was Hermione's real child. Hermione secretly hoped though, but she hoped that she'll gain redemption by adopting her.

Hermione casted concealment charms on Agnese's legs. The charms would be more efficient on healing and covering her scabs. Agnese was alarmed yet thankful. Hermione smiled when she looked at her eyes, those brown eyes twinkling with joy.

Hermione held her hand.

"Let's get out of here together," Hermione smiled.

The duo reunited with the group. That had all disapparated out of the ministry together. Agnese had held onto Hermione's hand the whole entire time. They had all been reanimated inside the main entrance of the orphanage. The other kids had gone upstairs, which Hermione had assumed were their rooms. Hermione had a quick glance at her surroundings. The floor she was in seemed elegant and expensive, decorated in fine material.

Agnese still gripped Hermione's finger with her tiny hand.

"May I ask why you are still here?" the matron asked. Hermione knew that despite the polite tone, there was a hint of disgust underlying.

"I would like to talk about Agnese with you," Hermione replied.

The matron rolled her eyes. She then hand gestured Hermione to follow her into her office.

The woman closed the door behind sat down on a chair. The matron sat on a chair behind the desk.

"What do you want to talk about?" she asked.

Hermione took a deep breath.

' _Here goes nothing'_

"I am curious about-"

"Agnese?" said the matron, interrupting her. Hermione cocked a brow. How could this woman have known? The matron continued, "You're curious to see if this child is your biological daughter, I assume."

It baffled Hermione how this woman could easily deduce her intentions.

The woman sloppily threw a yellow file on the desk. Curiously, Hermione opened it to see its contents. To her shock, the file revealed rather painful information.

In it contained Agnese's birth certificate.

 _ **Birth Certificate**_

 **Agnese Charlotte Granger** **born to** **Hermione Jean Granger** **and** ***Blank*** **on** **December 22, 1998**

Hermione's superstition was right. She had just stood in front of her baby girl.

"How do you feel, knowing you just found the baby you abandoned many years ago?" she accusingly asked. This angered Hermione, but the woman had a point. No matter what angle Hermione tried to look at, it all ended to one conclusion: Hermione Granger gave up Agnese Granger.

"My… it appears the War Heroine Hermione Granger feels guilty for committing such an act. Guess not all of us can experience glory and be morally good people, huh?" she mockingly asked.

If Hermione in her younger years had it her way, she would've argued back. Who was she to say that when she's been abusing the children? Today, Hermione would've killed the woman in multiple ways, but since she wasn't a ministry target, Hermione didn't want to get in trouble. So, with struggle, Hermione tolerated the bitch in front of her.

"Just give me the adoption papers," she demanded.

The matron smirked. "I'm afraid that's not possible. You see, you terminated your parental rights years ago."

Hermione's eyes widened. Was she really in a dead end situation?

 _'_ _No..think.'_

"Well, seeing as how no one has adopted her yet, I can adopt her as my own. Besides, would you really want me to get the Minister to come and inspect the place?" Hermione challenged.

The woman was mortified and handed the papers to Hermione. She then signed them triumphantly.

Agnese Charlotte Granger was now back to her biological mother. Hermione can now undo the damage she had done to the poor child. With that, she held the papers in her hands and was about to leave. Just as Hermione touched the doorknob, the matron spoke for the last time.

"If you're looking for redemption, don't bother. That child isn't an object you can easily mend like you please. You cannot undo time to make up for time lost. Good bye."

Hermione opened the door, and there stood Agnese, crying.

Her brown watery eyes were staring at Hermione's own eyes. The child's lips were trembling.

"How could you?" she asked and then ran upstairs.

* * *

 **Well, here is the second chapter. Looks like Agnese really was Hermione's daughter. But why did she give her up in the first place? Do read and review lol**


	3. Chapter 3: Scars Slowly Heal Part I

Alarmed, Hermione ran upstairs to catch up to Agnese. While she was trying to catch up, her surroundings had drastically changed. There was a severe transition from the main office to the upper floors. Unlike the main floor filled with grandeur, the floors above it screamed poverty with its rickety wooden floors, cracks and wallpaper peeling. Each step the woman took there was a creaking sound. Finally, Hermione had caught up to the girl in her room, which was located at the farthest end of the hallway.

She tried to open it, but no luck. So, she pulled out her wand and pointed it to the door.

"Aloha-"

"Don't you dare use that spell!" yelled the child. "Just don't come back!"

Hermione understood the frustration the child felt based on the tone of her voice; however, she can also figure out a subtle layer of sadness in the child's voice too. As an assassin, Hermione had experience reading people and being a "people-person" to blend in, so she clearly saw that Agnese was rather troubled and heartbroken with this whole ordeal.

"Please… let me exp-"

"You think you're suddenly a part of my life because you signed those papers! I heard you the entire time!" she yelled.

Hermione was stunned. How could she have not noticed the child's presence so closely to the door? Hermione had to refine her sensory skills as a requirement for her job, so she wouldn't get killed. This 5 year-old had managed to hear the conversation whilst not being noticed. Was Hermione's skills dumbing because of a mere child?

 **BANG**

Agnese threw something at her door to scare Hermione off. Hermione didn't let it scare her though. She heard more noises of banging coming inside the room. Concerned, Hermione did the unlocking charm.

The room was a mess, both with design, and with the stuff that Agnese threw around. The room was dying. So many of the wallpaper was pealing off the walls. Her floors were even more rickety than the hallway, with some of the floorboard missing. Her thin metal bed frame was rusting. Her daughter had been living in her own hell these past years.

Agnese's forehead was bleeding because of banging her head against the wall. There was a big crack left as indent.

Within an instant, Hermione healed Agnese's head and cleaned up the room with a simple spell. Agnese looked at the woman with a dead look in her now dull brown eyes.

"I was better off dead," she mumbled. "After all, I wasn't good enough for you."

Hermione bent down to Agnese's level. "My darling… I wasn't in any condition to take care of you. After the Wizard War, I was in trouble myself. I honestly thought that the orphanage was a good place for you, but I was wrong."

Hermione paused.

"I am Hermione Jean Granger, the war heroine of the Golden Trio and I am your mother," she revealed, feeling a little tense saying the word mother for the first time.

"Everybody was right. I wasn't worth living because I must be a monster."

Hermione shushed the child with her finger. "Don't you ever say that about yourself. You're a good person who just had horrible things happen towards to you. I promise I'll make every day up to you. I'm so sorry."

Hermione then hugged the child, and she cried in her mother's shoulders.

Footsteps were hastily approaching to where they were. Hermione took no time in holding her wand from her pocket. It was most likely the matron. One hand held her wand, the other held Agnese around her waist. When the footsteps stopped, Hermione turned around and stood up.

"Don't move," Hermione threatened with her wand. Agnese clung to Hermione's waist like a koala to a tree. She was clinging onto her, afraid of a potential duel between the two witches.

The matron, still with the wand in hand, glared at Hermione. "No one is allowed to come here, you filthy Mud-"

"Petrificus totalus" she immediately casted. "Don't you dare finish that phrase, you dreaded grim!"

Hermione let go of Agnese, letting her get back onto the ground. "I need you to pack your things," she said.

Confused, Agnese did it accordingly. She picked up her copy of Tales of Beedle and the Bard, and opened her drawer, which revealed her clothes. Her raggedy clothes that is.

Hermione shook her head, "No, you aren't going to wear those anymore. You deserve better than that," she said, which made Agnese smile. Agnese held onto Hermione's free hand, clutching onto her book.

"This is all I have then."

Hermione nodded her head and the two left the room. Not before leaving the door, Hermione obliviated the woman and depetrified her. She had erased the woman's all of her memories of Agnese and the events of today. Satisfied, the two left the orphanage, and Agnese was happy beyond belief because she'd never step foot of that wretched place again.

The two went inside a muggle mall, where Hermione bought tons of clothes for the youngster. She had also bought the girl a teddy bear, and a lot of muggle books, fiction and nonfiction. Agnese was really ecstatic, because she had never received so much kindness until she met her mother.

After a long day of shopping, the two headed home. Hermione technically would've come back to work, but she decided that her daughter was a priority. She guess she was going to message Kingsley to let her have the whole month off. It shouldn't be a problem since she saved up the days she could have gone to work. She also guess she had to explain the whole thing to Harry and Ron. Maybe not now or for a while though. It was unusual and unpunctual of Hermione, but this new change of event was worth skipping a routine. Frankly, she felt that she deserved to punish herself for punishing her poor daughter.

Hermione lead the young child into the home, and she was in awe. Hermione lived in a lavish modern flat. Agnese had never stepped into an area of such expenses, and the half-assed orphanage shouldn't count. Being so amazed at the surroundings, she stopped herself in her tracks. Agnese felt that she shouldn't ruin Hermione's home with her unworthy existence.

Hermione frowned, confused at the sudden abrupt movements of the child. She had not anticipated the child's awkward nature into account. She had actually hoped that after she adopted the child and spoiled her, the problems the child had would be solved.

' _Idiot. Of course not! You think a day would reverse the trauma endured for more than a day?'_ she bitterly thought. Hermione should have really taken it into mind, since she still had scars that refused to heal.

"Dear, why don't you sit down on that couch," she said, pointing ahead at the couch. Agnese hesitantly nodded and proceeded to sit. Hermione then walked towards where she was, grabbing an item from a high shelf from the side. It was a remote. She then turned on the muggle telly and handed the remote to Agnese.

"This is a television, a muggle device that is used for entertainment. It shows moving pictures with audio, similar to a penseive except some of the scenes are fictional. Now, I'll be making dinner."

With that, she left. Hermione would have taken the time to explain what channels there were, but she didn't know herself. In fact, she barely used the television at all. Her job required her to frequently travel, so she didn't really watch at all. She only really kept her television to cling onto her muggle side, or at least what was left of it.

Agnese was so amazed. She had never experienced any muggle devices considering how prejudiced her matron was. The matron would brag about her blood-status, which now Agnese thought, would explain why she was cruel to her. Hermione Granger was her mother, making Agnese a half-blood. Still, she didn't understand the whole muggle issue. Despite only being introduced to her muggle heritage, Agnese was already fond of it, thinking muggles can help the wizard world.

Flipping through channels, Agnese stopped at the Discovery channel. It was currently showing underwater documentaries. Agnese had never known about this part of the world because of her isolation. Seeing the many forms of aquatic life and scenery inspired her to want to travel around the world and discover more. She had never dreamed of holding such ambition up until today.

"Dinner is ready," Hermione said. Agnese got up, turning the telly off, and walked over. She was so astonished when she looked at the plates. Hermione had set dinner plates on the table, each filled with peas, mashed potatoes, and salisbury steak. Agnese had never been entitled to such a dish, or any decent meal, being forced to eat the scraps the matron gave. If she was lucky… her portions were significantly smaller than that of the other students.

Agnese had hesitantly nibbled on a piece, and her eyes widened. She immediately chomped on a couple of more pieces, then realized her awful table manners. She stopped mid-way to look at Hermione.

If pre-War Hermione was here, she would have scolded the young lad; however, that Hermione is in the past. The current Hermione just watched the child with amusement. She had tried her best to cook a great meal pushing herself in doing so. Hermione, herself, never really cooked. She'd usually buy her food, but she felt that Agnese deserved to taste what home food tasted like. As much as she hated it, she used her mother's cookbook as a reference.

"Mother," said Agnese. Hermione blinked. Was the child able to read her mind?

"I was wondering how weird it would taste if I said that. It's not bad."

Hermione was relieved, because of possibly being accepted as a mother figure and that the child really wasn't able to read her mind.

After their dinner was over, Hermione had ordered Agnese to take a shower. Hermione was going to leave Agnese alone to shower, but she insisted they'd shower together. She still had fears about the other kids playing dirty tricks on her while she bathed, which broke Hermione's poor heart hearing it.

Hermione stripped her clothes bare and hoped into the tub with Agnese. She washed the child's straight platinum blonde hair for her. While doing so, she bitterly thought of the one who gave the child her hair colour.

Once she was done, she washed Agnese's hair. She was going to proceed on washing her own hair when the child asked to touch her hair. Agnese said that Hermione had nice brown hair that naturally curled into loose waves, opposed to her ugly hair. Hermione snorted mentally when she heard this.

' _If only she knew of my frizzy hair in the past,'_ she thought. It was true. After years, Hermione's hair had slowly transitioned into beautiful curls. Along with those curls, her body had naturally grown into a very goddess-like figure. No longer was she an unnoticeable bookworm, but a beautiful woman who had a lot of people staring when she entered the room. It was this beauty that helped her job run smoothly.

Once they were done, Hermione decided to go to bed. It was getting late after all, and she needed the rest after today. Agnese was thought she was going to sleep on the couch, but Hermione insisted she sleep with her. There was enough space in the grand queen size bed.

Hermione lied down, with Agnese lying right beside her. She was going to close her eyes, when Agnese cried into her shirt. Surprised, she asked what the matter was.

"I'm just happy is all. I finally escaped that horrible place, with my actual mother to rescue me," she said. After a while, she calmed down. Before she completely knocked out, she said a couple of last words.

"Thank you, mama."

* * *

 **Well, the two are finally reunited. What do we have in store for the two in the next chapter? Hermione had to suddenly adjust to motherhood, whilst Agnese had to acknowledge her mother is taking care of her now.**


	4. Chapter 4: Heart-to-Heart

Hermione had no idea why she chose to drive to Oxford University the next day. She had no idea why she bothered driving there with her own muggle car. It wasn't that the car was uncomfortable to be in - after all, it was a Mercedes and any car associated with that brand was automatically luxurious. No, it was rather how suddenly "muggle" Hermione had changed in the short time-span. Hermione rarely used her muggle car, or anything muggle related. Really, she only associated herself with muggle things as a novelty, not really interacting with it. Especially considering how clueless Hermione was with her own muggle television. She even charmed her own muggle microwave to warm the food itself and all her chores were done by magic. To have herself driving was just completely disturbing to even the most magical of families.

Which made her think: why **DRIVE** to Oxford University? If she really wanted to just go there, she would have apparated there in an instant. Driving there really seemed inconvenient; however, somehow Hermione had a feeling in the sudden impulse.

 _Flashback_

 _10 year-old Hermione Granger was enthusiastic with today's family trip. Her parents have agreed to take the young girl to tour around Oxford University. It was October and the "University Fever" has gone well underway. For most graduating secondary students, the following months were crucial for choosing their post-secondary education. Not for Hermione though. She chose to take this orientation for academic aspiration._

 _As the only child of two dentists, Hermione was raised nothing short of an educated and proper family. Table manners were emphasized alongside being taught potty-training as baby. Anything deemed "uncouth" to Hermione's parents' eyes were immediately shunned down; Hermione's lack of athletic ability mainly being the product of this prejudice._

 _Her parents were keen on ingraining and nuturing Hermione's interest in studying, and they were quite pleased at the young girl's suggestion to making such a trip._

 _Once the car was parked, Hermione enthusiastically got out and was in awe._

 _End of Flashback_

Not much has changed since that impression. Hermione was still in awe at the campus right in front of her. When she was younger, she aspired to be associated with the prestige and intelligence of Oxford students. She had once dreamed of becoming an academic scholar, indulging in the information like it were chocolate. Those dreams may have been popped but she still enjoyed the nostalgia connected to school. Just being on the site made the memories of her short time with her parents more lucid.

Agnese had never been ignorant, choosing to lock herself up in her old dingy room with whatever books she can find. Despite that, she had to admit she knew next to nothing about muggles. She was quite ashamed at her apparent ignorance of her own heritage.

While walking around, Agnese mindlessly asked questions and pointing around. Hermione, just as enthusiastic, happily answered and discussed what she knew about Oxford University.

"Oxford and Cambridge University are both of high prestige but their students say otherwise. What they believe in is their own essential truth and frankly, you can't do much with it."

Once the tour was over, the two headed over to the nearest McDonald's. Hermione had decided to buy a meal from the most iconic muggle fast-food chain before the long trip. Agnese found the red clown mascot quite amusing and the food being quite an aesthetic too (little did she know of course). She was taking one last bite of her cheeseburger.

"Ophelia," Hermione had suddenly said.

Dumbfounded at the abrupt randomness, Agnese tilted her head in response.

"Just ignore me, dear. I was just thinking," Hermione awkwardly apologized. "I just thought of it as a nickname for you."

Agnese raised a brow and shrugged. "I mean, that's a rather longer name for a nickname.. but whatever makes you happy is fine for me."

Hermione held onto Agnese hands.

"This may seem quite sudden, but what do you want to be?" she asked.

Agnese had never had much ambition in her life, just being eternally grateful for any scrap she can get. Being asked such an influential question would have been difficult though... in the past. Now, the young girl had some idea of what she wanted. Maybe not quite bold but still a goal in mind.

"I guess I want to do good in this world with all the power I have," answered the young child. Agnese was astonished at the amount of effort and accomplishments the Oxford alumni and students had in their studies. Their whole education was the center of their success. Just the idea of trying lit the young girl's previously dull-eyes.

Mr. and Mrs. Granger would have pestered the youngster to dream more specific. Not Hermione. In fact, she was quite proud at the young girl's statement. Her own daughter seemed determined to make the world a better place, which was already far more better than Hermione's career. It was a blessing to Merlin to know that Hermione's sins didn't ruin the young girl's potential. For that, Hermione was extremely grateful.

 _Hermione looked frightful just staring into Bellatrix's eyes. That monster was intent on doing anything to hurt the young girl._

 _"Draco, dear, why don't you bring the mudblood into a spare room?" she maniacally asked, making sure she held onto the newly carved mudblood scar with a lot of pressure._

 _Draco stared into Hermione's face with his stoic face. Somehow, she knew that under his blank face was a scared boy just looking into his eyes._

Hermione woke up, panting like crazy. Beads of sweat were glistening down her forehead. She hadn't recalled that memory since the day of the incident.

A tear drop fell onto her bedsheet. Hermione wiped the newly formed tears in her eyes. She hadn't cried in years.

She looked at the small figure sleeping right next to her. Stroking Agnese's hair, Hermione couldn't believe that something so precious came out of her pain.

"Ophelia... you are my greatest treasure yet my most tragic memory."

* * *

 **Okay, sorry for the long break. Currently having writer's block lol.**

 **So in this chapter, the duo were having a heart-to-heart. I decided to write about Oxford based on my loose experience. In all honesty, I've never visited the campus (please don't kill me) but I have admired the school on an international scale. During the summer, I made my parents visit Boston for Harvard and MIT. We drove all the way from Canada and I don't regret any minute of it. You can say it was an academic inspiration trip lol. I really admired the scholarly vibe while I was there. Just breathing the air from the exact spot of influential alumni made me glee with anticipation.**

 **Okay, enough of my nerdyism. I tried to channel my enthusiasm for the story based on it though.**

 **Hermione's dream was of a horrible memory, hence why she secretly named Agnese her nickname "Ophelia". Ophelia was a tragic character from Shakespeare's play, "Hamlet". I actually got that name last minute when I had to read Hamlet for the Shakespeare part of my English class' curriculum. I just thought it'd be a fun tidbit, considering Hermione's name came from another Shakespeare play lol.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this lousy update and feel free to comment whatever you want. I'm going to go back and suffer from writer's block.**


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